Bait traps for insects comprising a receptacle containing liquid bait which lures insects and which in turn also incorporates insecticide elements that are not detected by insects are known in the state of the art. These insecticide elements usually have a delayed effect so insects such as ants transport the liquid bait to their colonies and spread it to the rest of the insects so that it is therefore more effective against pests.
To prevent the user from having to handle the liquid insecticide, single-use bait traps for insects such as those described in patent document WO02076200 are known, in which the bait trap is a container in which the liquid insecticide is incorporated during manufacture. After incorporating the liquid insecticide, such bait traps are sealed, said bait traps forming flexible containers to thus prevent liquid insecticide losses during storage and marketing. Before use, the bait trap must be opened by the end user, avoiding spillage of the liquid insecticide, and thus providing a passage for insects from the outside to the inside of the bait trap, where the liquid insecticide is arranged in a receptacle formed in the bait trap.
Nevertheless, such bait trap leads to a possible spillage and loss of part of the bait when the end user opens and places the bait trap in an operative position, the tools that can be used for opening it, such as scissors, furthermore being contaminated as they come into contact with the bait which can adhere to the walls of the container and contaminate the tools. Therefore, the tools that were used for opening the bait trap must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, particularly if they are tools that may come into contact with foods or if they are the user's hands. Another drawback of such bait traps is that once opened, the water in the liquid bait tends to evaporate over time, and even more rapidly if the bait trap is located in a hot place or in a place with direct sunlight. As the water in the liquid bait evaporates and said vapor seeps out of the bait trap, the bait remaining inside the bait trap gradually dries up and becomes more concentrated and dense, such that it is no longer appealing to the insects and is therefore less effective. Since the function of luring insects cannot be performed, it is necessary to replace the bait trap before all the liquid bait is gone. This drastically reduces the service life of the bait trap and furthermore entails a drawback by having to dispose of the bait trap since it still contains insecticide bait that may be harmful to the environment if it is not suitably destroyed.
To slow down the evaporation of liquid bait, bait traps such as that described in patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,696 are known, which discloses a bait trap for insects provided with a plurality of chambers interconnected by means of channels. This arrangement allows slowing down the evaporation of the liquid bait since the bait can remain in the liquid state for a longer time in the chambers farthest away from the inlet while the liquid bait in the chambers closest to the inlet evaporates. Therefore, insects will first consume the liquid bait in the chambers closest to the inlet and then proceed to consume the liquid bait in the chambers farthest away from the inlet, being able to partially refill the chambers closest to the inlet with liquid bait by means of channels. Nevertheless, as the liquid bait in the chambers closest to the inlet evaporates and becomes pastier and unappealing to insects, these insects often do not proceed to consume the liquid bait in the chambers farthest away from the inlet, wasting part of the liquid bait. Nevertheless, such bait trap does not prevent possible bait spillage and loss when the end user opens and places the bait trap in an operative position either.
An objective of the present invention is to therefore disclose an alternative to known bait traps for insects.
Another objective of the present invention is to disclose a bait trap for insects that prevents bait loss when it is opened and put in an operative position.
Another objective of the present invention is to disclose a bait trap for insects with bait that allows prolonging the service life of the bait trap by keeping the bait in its initial state, preventing it from drying up.